Techniques for phone interviews

In this lesson, we'll look at three steps to a successful phone interview.

We'll cover the following

Study up#

Just like any other interview, it is important to know as much as you can about the organization that is interviewing you.

According to Jorg Stegemann, you should expect to be asked what you know about the organization; “if you are not able to state the organization’s key figures, strategy, and markets, the interview might be over after only three minutes.” (Stegemann).

This is no reason to panic! Remember, the interviewer cannot see you, so feel free to employ a cheat sheet or search engine to help you answer.

Be comfortable#

Interviews are stressful enough on their own so be sure to make yourself as comfortable as possible to decrease any additional stress. Since the interview is over the phone, you will have more of an ability to control your surroundings than you would in even a video conference interview. So, please, take advantage of that!

Listen and then talk

While on the call, make sure that you listen to the interviewer first and then, and only then, talk. In most cases, the interviewer will set the stage and go over some background information. Make sure that you are taking notes on these points, you will want to respond to them later.

In any interview, it is extremely important to find commonalities between you and the interviewer and the organization-- make a human connection, you will be more successful if you do. Once they are finished talking, it is your time to shine.

In order to capitalize on the time you have to talk, make sure that:

  • You are hydrated to avoid throat clearing.
  • You have good posture. Posture affects your voice, believe it or not.
  • You are smiling which also affects your voice. Don’t believe us? Record yourself and compare.
  • You end on a good note. For example, “Thanks for the call. I like what I heard and from this information, I am confident I could fill the role. I am very interested in this job and would be pleased to meet you in person. What is the next step?” (Stegemann).

Following up#

Once the phone interview is done, make sure that you follow up with a thank-you note after half a business day. This note should be short and restate your interest, your confidence that you can do the job, and a question about next steps. If you do not get a response after a week, send another. If you still don’t get a response, send a third note in three week’s time. If there’s still no response, move on-- you weren’t a good fit.

Pro Tip: If you are given the opportunity to choose a time slot for the interviewer to call you…take it! Choose a time in the morning if you can; interviewers are human too, and humans tend to get tired as the day goes on, so make sure that you talk to them while they’re fresh!

Next, we’ll study body language.

Phone interviews

Body Language